Tightening the heads of single headed instruments



I Dec. 9, 1969 c. D ELLA-PORTA 3,482,479

TIGHTENING THE HEADS 0F SINGLE BEADED INSTRUMENTS Filed March 31, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 De 9. 1969 -c. DEiLLA-PORTA 3,482,479

'I'IGHTENING THE HEADS OF SINGLE BEADED INSTRUMENTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 31, 1967 United States Patent US. Cl. 84411 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Single-headed percussion instruments such as tambourines, bongos, and the like are furnished with headtightening devices which pass obliquely through the wall of the instrument shell and can be tightened up to apply oppositely-acting longitudinal forces to the shell from the two sides of the latter and hold it in compression.

This invention relates to single-headed percussion instruments, by which term is meant such instruments as tambourines, tambours, bongos, and tomtoms of the kind which comprises a rigid tubular shell, for example of cylindrical shape, which is open at one end and has a percussion head of skin, vellum, plastics, or other material stretched over the other end. The term percussion instruments is also to be interpreted as including instrumerits with a tunable head, e.g. a banjo, which is not necessarily struck in use. The present invention is concerned, inparticular, with the tightening of the head in instruments of this kind.

Where such instruments have been equipped with headtigh'tening means, e.g. for tuning the head, these have usually been implemented by screw bolts or equivalent spaced around the outside of the shell and applying clamping forces to the head and the shell from the exterior. These unilateral forces have a tensile effect on the whole, i.e. tend to bow the wall of the shell inwards-and this canlead to distortion of the shell and impairment of the quality of the instrument, or even ultimate fracture of the shell wall.

With the aim of eliminating this defect, the present invention provides a single-headed percussion instrument of the kind set forth with head tightening means including a plurality of tightening devices spaced around the periphery of the shell, each such device comprising a stem which is equipped at one end for engagement with the head from the outer side of the wall of the shell, which has a portion passing obliquely through the wall of the shell, which has at its other end means for clamping;.the shell from the inner side of the latter, and which is operable to adjust the head-engaging means relatively to the shell-clamping means.

In principle then, the instrument has a set of tightening devices around the periphery, these engaging a marginal part of the instrument head extending beyond the rim of the shell over which the head is to be tautened. The stem of each device passes downwards from this point of engagement and through the shell into the interior of the latter. It is within the confines of the shell that it is provided with the clamping means which are operable to tighten or loosen the head of the instrument. When the head is tightened up a force component is applied compressively, through the head, to the upper rim of the shell from the outer side, and a counteracting force component is applied in the opposite sense to a lower part of the shell from the inner side, for example, to the lower rim of the shell or to the upper edge of an opening partway down the shell wall. Thus the shell is subject enice tirely to axial compressive stresses and any tensile stresses are balanced out.

By this means the clamping and tightening means can be disposed unobtrusively within the shell so that they will not mar the external visual appearance of the instrument and will not hamper hand manipulation of the instrument (as in the case of a tambourine), or grasping of the instrument by the knees (as in the case of bongos) or mounting the same on most types of support (as in the case of tomt-oms).

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective illustration of a tambourine equipped with head tightening and tuning means in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross section through the part of the shell of this tambourine, and through one of the tightening devices,

FIGURE 3 is an exploded illustration of a tightening device per se,

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional illustration similar to FIGURE 2, but illustrating modified features which can be used within the present invention, and

FIGURE 5 is another and similar cross section showing further modified arrangements.

The tambourine illustrated in FIGURE 1 comprises a cylindrical wooden shell 1 with a flat upper edge 2 and a rounded lower edge 3. This shell is equipped at spaced locations around its periphery with two sets of jingles 4 each of which is mounted by a pin in an aperture 5 in the wall of the shell. It will be understood that one or more sets of such jingles can be provided, according to requirements.

The head is provided by a circular sheet 6 of vellum or other material used in this art, this being stretched over the upper rim 2 of the shell 1 and being tightenable (see below) to vary the tuning of the tambourine. The sheet 6 is of greater diameter than the rim 2 and the overlapping marginal portion 8 thereof is engaged in a hoop 7 disposed around the upper part of shell 1, this portion 8 being wrapped around a metal ring 9 which is trapped within the hoop 7.

The tightening means used in this construction comprise a set of tightening devices, denoted 10, which are spaced at intervals around the instrument. Each of these devices comprises a stem 11 in the form of a rod or bar which is provided with a hook formation 12 at one end and is screw-threaded at the opposite end 13. At this end 13 the tightening device has means for adjustable clamping against the lower part of shell 1, and for this purpose use is made of a plate 14 of stirrup shape and having a lip 15 which will comfortably engage around the lower rim 3 of the shell. This plate 14 is apertured at 16 for the passage of the screw-threaded end 13 of stem 11, and a nut 17 with a screwdriver slot is provided to screw on the end 13 of stem 11.

It will further be observed that the hook 12 is oifset relatively to the remainder of the stem 11 so that, when this hook is engaged with the upper surface of hoop 7 the main length of stem 11 is inclined to shell 1, and passes through an inclined slot 18 in the latter and through the apertured plate 14.

It will consequently by seen that the tightening device, when assembled in the instrument, is unobtrusive and that the tightening nut 17 can be conveniently operated but does not obtrude from the instrument when the latter is being used for normal playing. Further, the stresses applied, in tightening, to the shell, balance each other as described above.

In the modification illustrated in FIGURE 4, still assumed applied to a tambourine, use is made of a counter hoop 19 which is disposed on the hoop 7. This figure also shows an alternative method of engaging the outer edge of the head 6. In this case the edge is wrapped around a wire 20 which is disposed in a block of glue or epoxy resin 21 within the hoop 7.

The principles underlying this form of construction are the same as those applicable to the embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 3, and it will be appreciated that the FIGURE 4 construction is merely illustrative of certain alternative features which may be used. It should further be noted that instead of using counter hoop 19, or even a hoop 7, the hook 12 could be engaged with the block 21 of epoxy resin or other material, in certain forms of tambourine or other instruments to which the invention is applied.

The modified arrangement illustrated in FIGURE 5 is assumed applied to a bongo drum. In this case, it will be observed, the shell 22 is of relatively greater depth than the shell 1 previously illustrated, and that the stem 23 of the fastening device is also of the modified shape, commensurate with the particular dimensions of the drum. Once again the stem is provided with a threaded end portion 24 which passses obliquely through a slot 25 in the shell 22.

At its upper end the stem 23 is hooked at 26 to engage in a hoop 27 trapping the annular insert 28 around which the margin of the head 6 is wrapped. In this case, the hoop 27 is provided with indentations 29 and the tip of the hook 26 can engage in a corresponding indentation.

I claim:

1. A single-headed percussion instrument comprising a rigid tubular shell which is open at one end and includes a tunable percussion head stretched over the other end; and a plurality of head-tightening devices spaced around the shell; each of said, tightening devices comprising a stem member including a portion passing obliquely through the shell, means located at one end of said stem member for engaging with the head from the outer side of the wall of the shell, means located at the other end of the stem member for clamping the shell from the inner side of said wall, and means for adjusting the head-engaging means relatively to the shell clamping means; said adjusting means including a tightening nut located at the said other end of said stem member and disposed within the shell; said tightening devices further comprising "a stirrup-form plate including a lip portion for engaging around the free rim of the instrument shell, the remainder of said plate being applied against the adjacent inner wall portion of the shell; said plate further including an aperture through which passes the end of said stem member, the last-mentioned end of stem member being screw threaded for mating cooperation with said tightening nut which nut can be screwed up against the surface of said plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 493,635 3/1893 Mayer 84-269 1,377,067 5/1921 Groebl 84-275 1,894,968 l/1933 Whitten 84- 411 2,934,989 5/1960 Belli et al. 84-411 RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner L. R. FRANKLIN, Assistant Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 84-418 

